AJM’s vegetation team gathered at Nose Hill Park for a hands-on field training session to enhance our botanical skills. As part of the session, we focused on identifying various species, including prairie rose, Kentucky bluegrass, and prairie crocus, using transects and study plots. These methods help us assess plant community health, a key component of our ongoing vegetation monitoring projects in boreal wetlands and rangelands.

During the session, we made an intriguing discovery: soapweed (Yucca glauca), a species federally listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), was growing in the park. Normally found in the southern reaches of Alberta, soapweed’s presence in Nose Hill Park was a surprising find!

Alberta is home to an impressive variety of flora and fauna. One of the fauna groups that often tends to get overlooked are amphibians. Amphibians are animals that have life stages that occur both aquatically and terrestrially. One of their most prominent features is their permeable skin that allows them to regulate moisture and gas exchange (breathing!). This awesome adaption also leaves them prone to impacts from pollution …